Billa O'Connell

William "Billa" O'Connell (25 December 1929 – 23 September 2021) was an Irish entertainer from Cork City, Ireland. His career earned him Freedom of the City and an honorary degree from University College Cork.

Career The youngest of six children born to William and Julia O’Connell, Billa was best known as a performer in pantomime, having made his debut in the Cork pantomime back in 1947. Speaking in The Irish Times, he recalled a time when there were "seven or eight" pantomimes operating in Cork, and it was one of the city's most popular forms of entertainment. Also regarded as an accomplished singer, he recorded a number of songs for local charitable organisations.

He frequently appeared on The Late Late Show, produced by RTÉ, Ireland's national broadcaster, as a guest of Gay Byrne.

In 2000, Mercier Press published O'Connell's biography, Just Billa, written by Michael O'Connor. His monologues were archived by the Cork City Library in 2012. One of their grandchildren is writer and academic James O'Sullivan, who works at University College Cork.

He was a close friend of Jack Lynch, twice elected Taoiseach, and Paddy Comerford, a locally famed performer.

He died on 23 September 2021, aged 91.